


There Will Come a Day

by Zana_Zira



Series: Cold Shoulder Series [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Kidnapping, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Rescue, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 17:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zana_Zira/pseuds/Zana_Zira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Set roughly 6 months after Cold Shoulder.) Everyone must face a time in their life when the fates seem to be aligned against them. When Yuffie's father demands that she return to Wutai and get married to the son of a wealthy nobleman, never to see Vincent again, what will she do? And will Vincent's love be enough to keep Yuffie by his side?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad Timing

It had been a long time since Vincent remembered being this bored. There was nothing on television, he had finished every book he owned at least five times, and Reeve had been so busy developing new machinery for the W.R.O. that no one had called him for a mission in several days – he wasn't overjoyed to have become their go-to monster killer, but at least it was something to do. And to make matters worse, Yuffie had been materia-hunting for two weeks now, and it was in an area that had no cell phone reception, so he could not even call her, no matter how much he wanted to. Just the day before, after months of frustration, he had finally figured out text-messaging; now, ironically, he had no one to text but Cloud, who never answered his phone anyway.

And so it was that Vincent Valentine came to be sitting in an old armchair in his recently-acquired apartment, staring at an infomercial on the television as it droned on and on about some kind of new diet pill and not really registering any of it. Just as he was considering braving the bright May sunshine and going out for a run across the rooftops to entertain himself, Chaos spoke up.

" _Lover incoming,_ " he announced cheerfully, sending Vincent a mental picture of the door to his apartment just before the doorbell rang. Vincent sighed in relief, smiling softly as he strode over to the door and unlocked it. An instant later, he was almost bowled over as Yuffie launched herself at him, kicking the door shut before grabbing onto his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist while she kissed him passionately. He returned her enthusiasm, walking backwards with his armful of ninja and flopping down on the couch with her still on top of him. Finally, she opened her eyes and removed her lips from his, grinning at him and playing with his eternally-knotted black hair.

"Hiya, Vinnie!" she said cheerfully, sitting up and grabbing his clawed hand to pull him up, too. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Yuffie."

" _Understatement of the century, Mopey._ "

" _Shut up, Chaos._ "

" _Fine, fine…_ "

"So, what have you been up to while I was gone?"

"Learning how little I care for television," he deadpanned. Yuffie giggled and snuggled up to him.

"Wow. I'd go outta my mind if I had to do nothing but watch T.V. and read all the time. Did Reeve forget your number or something?"

"No. Everything has just been very calm for the last few days. It's great for the W.R.O., but very boring for me." Yuffie made a face.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Vince. If I would've known that, I would've taken you with me!" Her face brightened suddenly, and she reached into her backpack, which was still on her back, and produced a handful of brightly colored crystal orbs. "But look what I got! Lots of great materia! Let's see, there's Firaga, Blizzara, Ultima, All – ew, why'd I keep that All Materia? – an Ifrit summon, a…" Vincent listened attentively while she rattled off the names of all the new materia, genuinely interested and still amazed at how she somehow managed to remember them all by looks alone. Although come to think of it, he was able to do the same with most guns at a glance, a skill he had tried over and over again to teach her but one that never seemed to stick. It seemed they were both just better off sticking to what they knew, and helping each other with what they didn't.

"Aaaand, last but not least, a Leviathan summon!" Yuffie announced proudly, holding up the bright red crystal for Vincent to examine. "This red is so pretty, see?" she asked as she turned it around in her fingers. Suddenly her gaze softened, and a mischievous smile crossed her lips as her eyes locked onto his. "But you know something? No matter how many summon materia I came across the last two weeks, all I could think of was those pretty red eyes and just how much I missed them…" Vincent gulped, recognizing that hungry look in her eyes and realizing she had set that up on purpose. He tugged at the collar of his cloak, suddenly finding it too restricting and uncomfortably warm. Yuffie slipped it off of him in one fluid movement and tossed it to the floor. She giggled and began to undo the buttons on his shirt, trailing kisses down his neck and over his sharp collarbone as she worked. Vincent couldn't help the soft moan that slipped past his lips as she trailed her fingers across his chest, toying with him and making him want more.

Suddenly, with a playful growl, she pounced on him and pinned his arms down at his sides, sitting on his chest and baring her teeth in a wicked grin. He didn't even try to free himself; he was happy right where he was. Yuffie leaned down and kissed him softly, nuzzling his hair before she spoke to him again.

"You are now the prisoner of the White Rose of Wutai," she whispered into his ear. "If you want me to let you go, you know what you'll have to do." Vincent smiled, narrowing his eyes and bucking her off of him to pin her down instead.

"Well, now, who am I to deny an order from my White Rose?" He leaned down and kissed her deeply, tasting the sweetness on her lips and breathing in the aroma of her honeysuckle-scented perfume as he used his gauntlet to slice through the straps of her shirt. She grabbed his hands, locking their fingers together and kissing the tips of his metal claws before pulling his palms to her chest. His eyes seemed to shine brighter as he looked hungrily at her, reaching for the edge of her shirt and –

DING-DONG!

The two of them stared wide-eyed at each other for a moment in total disbelief. Honestly, of all the times for someone to visit, they picked  _now_? Vincent sighed, the mood effectively ruined, and stood up, helping Yuffie to her feet and offering her his cloak to cover the now barely-functioning midriff shirt. He buttoned his shirt back up as he strode to the door, knowing his face was still flushed but not caring in the least; he was about to kill whoever had just interrupted them.

His eyes were already beginning to glow with a golden light when he opened the door, revealing a small, thin Wutaian man dressed in a summer kimono and haori coat. Yuffie, who had not yet seen the visitor around Vincent's imposing form, gasped when she saw who it was. Vincent's eyes returned to their normal red color as she immediately began conversing with the stranger in Wutaian, her eyes bright and a smile lighting up her face. If she was happy to see this visitor, then so was he. They spoke for a moment longer, and then the man – called Hachi, from what little Vincent had managed to understand of their conversation – reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope, handing it to Yuffie and bowing deeply. Her face fell immediately, and Vincent was suddenly on edge. Without another word, the strange man departed, leaving a stunned Yuffie and a confused Vincent staring after him in the doorway.

"Yuffie? What is it?" Vincent asked gently as she continued to stare at the sealed envelope in her now-trembling hands. She didn't answer, instead turning away from him to open it and read whatever was inside; he wasn't sure why she bothered – it wasn't as if he could read Wutaian anyway. After several tense moments, she turned to him, and he was alarmed to see tears falling from her eyes. "Yuffie?" he asked again, kissing the top of her head and hugging her as she began to sob into his chest. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

"V-Vincent…" she whispered, not allowing herself to look him in the face. "T-this is a letter from m-my father… He… He's ordering me back to Wutai… for good…"


	2. Thinking Fast

Vincent could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and in truth he wanted nothing more than to punch something at the moment, but he refused to let any of that show. Yuffie was bordering on complete hysteria, and he needed to calm her down before she did something irrational – she was prone to that, after all. Calling on his old Turk training, he immediately began to formulate a plan while he worked on soothing the sobbing ninja.

"Yuffie, it's going to be alright. Calm down…" he murmured as he pulled her against him and held her tightly, stroking her hair and resting his chin on her head while she pulled herself together. After a few minutes, she pulled away from his chest, still sniffling but much more in control. "That's better. Now, why is it you're so upset?" Yuffie jerked away from him and gave him an incredulous stare.

"Why am I upset? Why am I  _upset_?! Did you not just hear me say my dad's ordered me to come back to Wutai for good, as in  _until the end of time_?" Vincent just nodded, completely unfazed.

"Of course I heard you. I just don't see the problem."

"You don't see the – The  _problem_  is that we just got together in November, and now I'm losing you already! And the thought of that doesn't bother you at all?!"

"Who said anything about losing me? If you're going back to Wutai, I'll just have to go with you." He said it so calmly, so matter-of-factly, that Yuffie was once again at a loss for words. It seemed every time she thought she knew everything about Vincent, he would do something else to throw her for a loop. "That is, of course, if I can't persuade him to let you stay here."

"Vincent… You'd do that for me?" Vincent just blinked at her.

"Of course I would. Why would you think otherwise?" Her answer was to leap at him and hug him tightly, this time actually managing to knock him flat on his back and not feeling even slightly remorseful about it. "Yuffie?" he asked shakily as her arms tightened around his neck.

"Yeah, Vinnie?"

"I'm… going to need oxygen again sometime soon…" Yuffie got off of Vincent immediately, and he sat up with a quiet cough. "Alright, well, first things first; if we're going to get to Wutai quickly, we need to call Cid and ask him to take us on the Shera. While I'm calling him, Yuffie, you are welcome to look through my apartment and pack anything you think we'll need. I'm not sure how long this will take, but I should have enough spare toiletries and nightclothes for both of us, so you shouldn't need to make a trip to Seventh Heaven for anything."

"Yes, sir! I'm on it!" the Wutaian shouted with a mock salute, running off to Vincent's bedroom to find her backpack. Yuffie had been living with Tifa and Cloud at Seventh Heaven ever since she and Vincent had become a couple, working as a waitress and bartender as well as babysitting the children when Cloud wasn't around. Vincent had found an apartment close to Edge for exactly that reason, and she stayed with him often enough that he had finally just bought everything she would need to care for herself rather than constantly having her forgetting things when she left. He heard the sound of breaking glass in the bedroom, and he smiled to himself when she shouted "I'm okay!" before he could move a muscle to go check on her.

"I'm sure you are, Yuffie, but what did you break?" he asked in amusement as he scrolled through his contacts and hit SEND, waiting for Cid to pick up the phone.

"Nooothhiiiing… Uh, Vincent, do you have a mop somewhere around here?"

"…Why…?"

"Oh, just a little spill…" Vincent sniffed the air, suddenly realizing what she had broken as the scent of her honeysuckle perfume wafted out to him from the bedroom. He sighed; that scent was very expensive, but he always kept a bottle here because she liked it so much. Well, at least the house smelled like Yuffie now.

"Check the bathroom closet."

"Thanks, Vinnie!"

"Mm-hmm." Finally, he heard the phone click as it was picked up, and Cid's voice sounded over the line.

"Hey, Vincent," he said, much more quietly than usual; the gunman was instantly on edge. "Listen, I gotta make this quick, alright? So whatcha need?"

"Yuffie and I are dealing with a bit of a…  _situation_  involving her father, and we were hoping you could get us to Wutai as soon as possible." He could hear Cid sigh on the other end of the line, and something told him he wasn't going to like whatever the pilot said next.

"Damn, Vincent, you know I'd help ya if I could, but I'm kinda busy with –" Vincent winced as a shrill scream interrupted Cid; if it was loud enough to hurt his ears, he had no idea what Cid must be feeling.

"What was that?" he asked when he heard Cid sigh again.

"Yeah, well, uh, ya remember how in December I said that Shera was expectin'?" Vincent gulped, knowing where this was going.

"Yes…"

"Well, we're kinda at the hospital right now, and she's not in a very good mood 'cause –"

"YOU TRY DOING THIS AND SEE WHAT KIND OF MOOD YOU'RE IN, CIDNEY HIGHWIND!" Shera screamed, causing Cid to drop the phone for a moment. "Now get off the  _# & #^$#_ phone and get your lazy  _% &#_ over here before I  _# &$%&# _rip off your –"

"Yes, Dear, I'm coming!" Cid answered in a very meek voice. "Sorry, Vincent, I really wish I could help ya, but I just can't this time. Duty calls. OWOWOWOW, Honey that's my ear!"

"YEAH? WELL IF YOUR EAR HURTS THAT MUCH JUST THINK HOW MY –" Vincent hung up quickly, feeling a great deal of sympathy for Cid and not wishing to hear any more of this conversation. He had never heard Shera raise her voice above a murmur, and he was more than a little frightened. Well, having Cid fly them was definitely out; it looked like it was back to the drawing board.

"What now?" he asked himself quietly.

" _Easy. We fly,_ " Chaos answered. Vincent could feel a tingle creeping up his neck at the eagerness he felt emanating from the demon.

" _Were you not listening to the conversation I just had with Cid? Flying's out._ "

" _I wasn't talking about an_ airship _."_

" _No. Absolutely not._ "

" _And why not?_ "

" _I am_ not _letting you take over my body and carry Yuffie at an impossible height while you fly through the clouds to the gods know where. That's much too dangerous._ "

" _You flew with her before, in Kalm._ "

" _I was still the one in control before. And that was across town; this is across the continent._ "

" _The principle is still the same. And besides, she doesn't get airsick when we carry her, right? It's much less dignified to show up with a puking princess, don't you think? She would probably appreciate this greatly._ " Vincent winced at the imagery, but Chaos did have a point; their options were very limited.

" _Why are you being so helpful all of a sudden, Chaos?_ "

" _Yuffie is your mate, which means she is by extension a mate of mine, too. I may be a demon, but I still know a thing or two about females._ "

" _Very well,_ " Vincent relented with a sigh. " _I'll let you take over completely just before we leave. But be sure you aren't seen when we get to Wutai. The last thing we want is to draw too much attention._ "

" _Me? Draw attention? Never._ " Vincent rolled his eyes, but a smile crept onto his lips as Yuffie stumbled out of his bedroom, laden down with a few suitcases stuffed with who-knew-what. He strode over to her and took all but one of them from her, laying them across his own shoulders instead.

"Did you pack everything we need?" he asked, knowing she had probably gone above and beyond what was necessary.

"Yup!" she answered cheerfully, giggling as he fumbled to catch one of the bags before it slid off of his shoulder. "So when's Cid getting here?"

"Er, well, about that…"

"He's not coming? So how are we getting to Wutai? If we have to take a boat I'll probably die before we make it there."

"We're not taking a boat, don't worry," Vincent said, his voice lowering as a growl began to echo behind it. Yuffie tilted her head, confused, and then knelt beside him worriedly as he dropped to his knees, panting in pain. Voluntary or not, these transformations always hurt.

"Vincent, are you o –" She never finished that sentence, for at that moment she found herself looking not into the red eyes of the gunman, but the amber-colored orbs that belonged to Chaos. She stared at him for a moment, and he stood and carefully gathered up their bags, strapping them to himself and unfurling his wings when he had finished. Finally, he turned around to look at her again, flashing her a teasing grin full of very sharp fangs.

"Well, then, Princess," he growled, flapping his wings as he uttered the nickname. "Are you ready to fly?"


	3. First Impressions

Chaos had to hand it to that little Wutaian girl – she was very brave. It had taken her only a moment to get over the shock of seeing him standing before her in the flesh, and then she had simply allowed him to pick her up and fly off without a single complaint. Now she seemed to be taking some kind of strange joy in being carried through the sky in the arms of one of the most powerful demons the planet had ever known; usually people would be screaming in terror by now. Not that he minded too much; it  _was_  nice to get a chance to stretch his wings without having to forcefully overcome Vincent's will – something he rarely did anymore, since he had somehow come to respect Vincent a great deal – and the fact that he did care for her because of her connection to his host made this feel like much less of a chore. He was careful not to jostle her too much or to jab her with his claws, and he kept a very secure grip on her lest a wayward air current decide to try to rip her from his arms; he knew Vincent would find a way to kill even a Weapon of his immense strength if that were to happen.

They flew for several hours, with Yuffie remaining largely silent except for the occasional gasp of delight when they passed some particularly beautiful scenery. Finally, soon after the sun had sunk below the horizon, Chaos was able to see the island nation of Wutai in the distance; Yuffie took his word for it, since she did not have the extraordinary night-vision the demon possessed.

"Where would be the safest place to land?" Chaos asked in a deep, growling voice. "I do not want my host being seen before I have returned to him."

"Um, let's see," Yuffie said, thinking of which parts of Wutai they were closest to at the moment. "Do you see a forest to the northeast of us?"

"Yes."

"That should be a good place, then. There're almost never any people anywhere near there, especially not after dark." Chaos nodded and leaned into a gentle dive, circling above the forest until he spotted a clearing that looked suitable for landing. With a few flaps of his great, leathery wings, he touched down onto the forest floor, setting Yuffie and the bags on the ground with as much gentleness as such a powerful being could. She shook her head to ward of the feeling of dizziness she had gotten when her feet had touched solid ground and began to check the bags, making sure she still had the same number now as she had when they left.

Chaos suddenly winced in pain as the bases of his wings began to throb. A grunt of irritation escaped his lips as they began to shake, and he realized how long it had been since he had flown for nearly that long. Noticing his discomfort, Yuffie came to his side and began to knead the wing-joints between his shoulders, causing him to sigh with pleasure as his wings drooped to rest on the ground; he didn't care if he was supposed to be a frightening, otherworldly demon – that felt  _good_. She continued to work her fingers against the thin bones and down the leathery membranes, giggling in amusement when he made a sound resembling a soft purr in spite of himself.

"There," she said, patting his back when she noticed him almost falling asleep. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you, human," Chaos growled, stretching and flexing his now significantly less sore wings.

"Any time. It's the least I can do for having you carry me all the way here."

"I was grateful for the opportunity to be let out again, so it was no trouble. I will be ready for when I am needed next, but now it is time for me to give my host back to you – I can sense that he is getting impatient." In a flash, the enormous winged demon had been replaced by the red-eyed gunman, who immediately sank to his knees and held his head as he tried to get the world to stop spinning around him.

"Are you okay, Vincent?" Yuffie asked, coming to kneel by his side as he blinked dazedly and shook his head as if to clear it.

"I will be in a moment," he said as he looked around the clearing. "Where are we now?"

"In the Nanami Forest, just outside of Guizhou."

"Guizhou? I thought the capital city was Wuxi?"

"It is, but this is just far enough away from there that we could safely land without anyone seeing us. It should only be about an hour's walk to Wuxi, even in the dark."

"I see. Well then, let's not waste time," he said, standing and shouldering all but one of the bags, which Yuffie took with a roll of her eyes and a smile.

"You know, Vinnie, you don't have to be such a gentleman  _all_  the time. I can totally carry more than one bag," she said as they began to make their way through the dense forest.

"And just what kind of first impression of me would  _that_  give your father, do you think?" Yuffie sighed and let him do as he pleased while they continued to weave through the trees, enjoying the silence and each other's company as they let the soft moonlight reveal the path for them.

"Vincent?" Yuffie asked when the trees began to thin and she spotted the paper lanterns in Wuxi burning like stars in the distance.

"Yes?" he whispered distractedly, staring at the town from a distance and trying to see if there were any guards lurking around.

"If I know my father, he's probably come up with several different ridiculous schemes to try and keep me here. I just want you to know that no matter what he tries to force me into, I'm not giving you up without fighting tooth and nail, so please don't wor –" She was silenced as Vincent pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her on the cheek as he shook his head and chuckled.

"I wouldn't doubt you for a second, Yuffie," he said softly. "But you don't need to worry about that." He smirked and shifted Cerberus around in its holster, his eyes glinting with a confidence she hadn't seen in him since… well, ever. "If  _anyone_  tries to take you from me against your will, it will be the last thing they ever do." Yuffie grinned broadly and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"You have no idea how sexy it is when you say things like that, Vince."

"Well, you'll have to tell me about that later," he growled, drawing Cerberus. "It looks like we've got company." As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuffie could see what he had been referring to: a group of Wutai troops were headed right for them, led by several Bajang that had apparently detected their scents and sounded the alarm.

Deciding it was probably not a good idea to introduce himself to the emperor's guards with a rain of bullets, Vincent put Cerberus back in its holster and stepped out of the trees, arms held up where they could see them and Yuffie doing the same just behind him. The dog-like Bajang surrounded them and growled but did not attack, and the guards soon lowered their weapons when they saw that Yuffie was with this stranger and seemed to be so completely by choice.

"Yuffie-sama," one of the guards said as they all bowed respectfully. "You have finally returned to us; we have been eagerly awaiting this day. Come with us, and we will escort you and your… friend…"

"His name is Vincent Valentine," Yuffie said icily, not about to let them treat Vincent rudely in front of her.

"Our apologies, Yuffie-sama. We will escort you and Mr. Valentine to the palace, if you would be so kind as to follow me." Yuffie sighed, taking Vincent's hand and following the guard who had spoken to her.

"Oh goody, I can hardly wait…"


	4. A Warm Welcome?

As the small group of guards ushered Yuffie and Vincent down the narrow, crowded cobblestone streets of Wuxi, the gunman let his eyes wander over all of the scenery they passed. He had been to Wutai once before, but at the time he had been too busy helping Cloud and the others chase down the materia-stealing ninja to care much about sightseeing. Wuxi was truly a beautiful city, with buildings that had to have been constructed centuries ago and architecture that he knew would have taken an incredible amount of time and skill to create. There were paper lanterns and banners in every color imaginable decorating storefronts and houses, although a good many of them tended to be red with gold trim; he could not read most of the banners, but he recognized a few of the characters as those representing health and good fortune. He could smell the delectable scents of food being prepared in some of the restaurants that lined the street, and there was a constant stream of people going in and out of the buildings, talking and laughing as they mingled in the storefronts. He could see why Yuffie was so fiercely defensive of her homeland; it truly was a beautiful place, with a culture very much like and yet completely different from anything he had ever seen on the mainland.

Unfortunately, the night was still young, so there were still plenty of people wandering the streets as they headed home from their shops or, in the case of the geisha and other entertainers, preparing to begin their work for the night. The large crowd in the small area meant there were plenty of people to gawk at the party and whisper in barely hushed tones as they noticed the strange cloaked figure accompanying their princess. Vincent ignored them; he had gotten used to the stares years ago, and as long as Yuffie wasn't bothered by being seen with him he had no issue with it. He was relieved when they finally turned off onto a smaller road that led toward a group of much older-looking buildings than the ones in town. The path was lined with tea-lights, and Vincent found the entire picture very calming, but Yuffie seemed more anxious than before and had to squeeze his hand to stop hers from shaking. He squeezed back and leaned over to kiss the crown of her head, letting her press herself as close to him as she could without tripping over his long brass shoes.

"Home, sweet home…" she muttered darkly as they reached the doors of a great wooden gate, which opened for them immediately when the guards announced who it was they had brought. She took her hand from Vincent's to clench it into a fist at her side as they were led into the palace and down a long central hallway, finally stopping before a large set of oak doors and being told to wait there by the guards. Yuffie snorted impatiently but did as they asked, and a moment later the doors opened again as one of Godo's attendants strode out to greet them.

"His Majesty the Emperor will see you now," the wiry man said, bowing and gesturing for them to enter with a broad sweep of his arm. Yuffie rolled her eyes and stepped inside with Vincent close behind, standing in the center of the rug before the throne with her arms crossed over her chest. Vincent stood just a step behind her, but he bowed deeply and did not make eye contact with Godo; he would show the man the respect his position demanded, no matter how much he disliked him personally. At a glance, the emperor of Wutai looked much the same as he had the first and only time Vincent had met him before; he still wore the same deep-purple sleeveless kimono, held together with the same gold sash, and he still possessed the same long, black hair, short beard, and long mustache, although they were now all tinged with streaks of gray.

"Dad, what's the point of all this nonsense?" Yuffie snapped before Vincent had a chance to say anything. Godo sighed, his brown eyes cold as he stared boredly at his daughter.

"You know perfectly well what this is about, Yuffie. You turned twenty-one last year, and it is high time you returned to your duties as the princess of Wutai instead of running across the mainland with those… nobodies you call friends," he said, gesturing to Vincent with an air of disgust. The gunman bristled inwardly but did not so much as bat an eye at the insult. "And especially with a man. You are a grown woman of marrying age, and it is improper for you to be in the company of unmarried men alone."

"Oh, no, Leviathan forbid innocent little Yuffie learns what a man is before she's married!" Yuffie spat as she glared back at Godo. "Have you gone senile already, old man? Why do you care all of a sudden who I choose to be with? It never mattered before!"

"A woman should not speak unless spoken to, my dear Yuffie," said a man she had not noticed sitting beside her father before. He was tall, fine-featured and handsome, with deep brown eyes and long, straight black hair that was tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. His face was impassive, save for the hint of a smirk in the corners of his lips as he looked at Yuffie. Vincent immediately saw a resemblance to Tseng of the Turks, but only in physical appearance; Tseng was a man of influence, but he was nowhere near this arrogant. Vincent's hand nearly twitched for Cerberus as he looked at this man; the way he was looking at Yuffie made his hair stand on end.

"Koichi," she growled, seeming to have met him before. "What the hell do you want?"

"If you would learn to listen before you talk, Yuffie, I could already have told you," Godo said coldly. "Calm yourself and sit with us, will you? Your… 'friend' is welcome to join us as well," he said without looking at Vincent. Yuffie snorted but did as he asked, following him to sit down at a low table on the other side of the room and making sure Vincent was between her and Koichi. An attendant quickly brought them cups of hot green tea, which Vincent immediately noticed carried a strange, bitter odor beneath the usual scent of tea leaves. Even without using Chaos's heightened senses, he recognized the smell immediately. He fought back a smirk as the Turk in him began formulating a new plan of action immediately. So, they wanted to play games with him? He would show them exactly how this game was played. He slowly brought the cup to his lips as Yuffie sipped from her tea and glared down into the cup, trying to do something to distract herself for a moment before she did something she would really regret.

"Now, as I was saying," Godo began after taking a sip of his own tea. "It is time for you to return to your duties as the princess of this country. And the most important responsibility for a woman of the royal family is to marry and bear sons who will carry on our family's name. Koichi is the eldest son of the Taishi clan –"

"I already know who he is, Dad. A pain-in-the-ass little pretty-boy is more like it."

"– and a great leader in his own right," Godo continued as if she had never spoken. "He has asked for your hand in marriage, and I have accepted." Vincent nearly dropped his teacup but somehow maintained his composure as he set it back on the table; Yuffie, on the other hand, wound up inhaling a mouthful of tea before spitting most of it on her father.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR %#&* $#% MIND?!" Yuffie screeched as she stood up from the table; Vincent stood with her, grabbing her hand and holding her back before she could leap across the table and tackle her father. Had the circumstances been different, Vincent might even have laughed; Cid had clearly been teaching her the proper use of a few new words. "I'm not some object to just be given away like that!"

"You will do as I command you to. I am your father, and you will respect my decisions."

"Shut  _up_ , already!" Her head was beginning to feel oddly hazy and Vincent was being strangely silent about all of this, but she was too angry to care. "And you!" she shouted as she pointed an accusing finger at Koichi. "I don't know how you've managed to convince my father that this harebrained scheme was a good idea, but if you think you can just take me without my permission, you must have your pretty little head screwed on backwards!" The young man just smirked at her, grinning like a sly cat.

"I doubt you'll really have much choice, my dear. As your fiancée, my word is now law. You had best just learn to accept it, and to show more respect to the man who will father your future children." Yuffie stared at him incredulously for a moment, unable to believe that someone could speak so casually about something so absolutely wrong.

"Alright, that does it! I'm outta here! Come on, Vince, let's – Vincent?" Yuffie turned around as she suddenly felt Vincent's hand slide off of hers; he had begun to sway in place, his eyes unfocused as he groaned and held a hand to his head. A second later, he crumpled to the floor, his eyes glazed and his body as limp as a rag doll when she tried to lift him. "Vincent?! Are you okay?!" she cried as she shook him, trying to get him to say something or at least show that he heard her. His face was tranquil, but his breathing was incredibly shallow and slow. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed something strange about the teacup that had fallen out of his hand. There was an odd shine in the bottom of the cup that she knew did not belong there; realization struck her like a punch to the stomach. They had drugged him.

"Oh, gods, Vincent!" she whispered, praying he would be alright. She tried again to lift the gunman, but her arms were beginning to shake under even their own weight, and to her dismay she found that her knees would not support her when she tried to stand. She sank to the floor, her eyes clouding over and something in the back of her mind screaming for her to run, fight, do something. A soft chuckle reached her ears, and a pair of arms grabbed her, lifting her much too roughly to have belonged to Vincent.

"Clever bastards…" she muttered as she realized they had planned this all along.

"I told you, my dear Yuffie, you are going to be my bride, and you will learn to love me. And if I need to, I will see to it that you never see this Vincent Valentine again."

"No… Vince… ent…" she whispered, seeing the gunman's red cloak moving as someone lifted him up as well and began carrying him away. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as he was carried out of sight. "Don't… hurt… him… P-please…" She tried to fight against the fog in her mind, but it was too much; the blackness called to her, sweetly inviting her to sleep, and a moment later she finally let herself fall into its welcoming embrace.


	5. True Intentions

The guard who had taken Vincent's prone body from the throne room was slowly beginning to question his sanity. He knew the man had been dosed with a sedative powerful enough to take down a Behemoth for at least a short amount of time, so he shouldn't have felt so afraid of him, but… Something about the gunman had him extremely unnerved. It was only a feeling, a sensation of being watched or led into some kind of trap, but he still felt it nonetheless. Every shadow he passed in the long hallway nearly made him jump in fright, and he had to grip Vincent's limp form tighter to keep from dropping him every time he did. As he passed another shadowy corridor he suddenly gasped and froze, staring at the ebony-haired man's face for a long moment; had that been a smirk he just saw? No, he must be imagining things…

By the time he reached the room where Vincent was to be held, he was shaking terribly and wanted nothing more than to leave the gunman there and never see him again. There was something almost _inhuman_  about him, and it was beginning to make him paranoid. He laid the red-cloaked man down on a small cot and turned around, prepared to lock the door and begin his shift guarding this frighteningly vampire-esque prisoner he had somehow been saddled with.

A fraction of a second later, a soft sound like a flapping flag reached his ears, and he suddenly found himself pulled against the body of the tall gunman with a metal hand clamped over his mouth and the barrel of a gun pressed to his head.

"Scream and it will be the last thing you ever do," Vincent hissed, pressing the tri-barreled Cerberus harder against the man's temple to add emphasis to the statement.

"Mm wmm't ( _I won't_ )," the man muttered behind Vincent's gauntlet. The gunman slowly pulled his hand away from the other man's mouth, but kept Cerberus exactly where it was. "How are you awake?!" the man whispered, curiosity and awe overcoming his fear for an instant.

"You people need to do more research. Did you honestly think an ex-Turk wouldn't recognize a drug with such a distinct odor, even if it was hidden in strong tea?" The man's eyes widened, and he stared incredulously at Vincent.

"You mean you didn't drink any of it?" Vincent chuckled mirthlessly.

"Do you think I would I be conscious right now if I had?" The man gulped, realizing he had been badly tricked.

"A-are you going to kill me?"

"Not if you tell me what I want to know." The man gulped again and nodded. "Where are they taking Yuffie?"

"T-to Xi'an."

"Where is that?"

"About fifty miles north of here, and a little to the west once you get close to it."

"Why are they taking her there?"

"I-it is a holy site, blessed by Leviathan. It's where all royal marriages are held." Vincent forgot how to breathe for a moment when he realized what Godo was up to. He had no time to lose. He shifted Cerberus to get a better grip; before the man could ask what he was doing, he had pulled the trigger. By the time other guards heard the sound and came to see what had happened, Vincent Valentine was long gone, leaving not a single sign that he had ever been there.

* * *

When Yuffie finally awoke, she found herself in a strange room, on a bed she had never seen before. Her vision swam for several minutes, making her dizzy and nauseous, and she felt terribly weak and exhausted. When her eyes finally cleared, she carefully sat up and looked around for Vincent, alarmed when she didn't see him anywhere. Where could he – She suddenly remembered what had happened at the palace, and her heart raced in panic as she remembered how weak and limp Vincent had been. Was he even still alive? No, she couldn't think like that. He most definitely was; he was much too strong to be done in by something like that. He  _had_  to be.

Blinking away tears, she stood and raced to the only window in the room, dismayed when she realized she was nearly ten stories up and the window was barred. It was still dark outside, but the sun had begun to glow just below the horizon, casting the area in a strange mix of shadows. Most of what she could see was a thick bamboo forest, but in the distance she could make out the shape of what looked like a large temple, complete with a great statue of Leviathan, the god most worshipped in Wutai. This time, though, the image of her deity offered her no comfort, and she turned away from the window as tears rose again in her eyes. She hurriedly tried the door to the room, not surprised when she found it locked.

"Vincent, where are you?" she whispered, sitting back down on the bed and holding her head in her hands.

A moment later the door swung open and Koichi stepped inside, swiftly locking it behind him and smiling smugly as he looked at Yuffie.

"Are you enjoying your new quarters, Princess?" he asked in a mockingly sweet voice, sitting beside her on the bed. She growled and moved away from him. "Oh, come now, do try to cheer up. It took a lot of effort to get you here, you know. And I even got you that pretty new kimono…" Yuffie looked down at herself, noticing for the first time that she had been dressed in an expensive-looking green silk kimono with a gold obi. Had he undressed her? Her blood ran cold as she thought of it, and she suddenly felt very dirty. She had been drugged, so she hadn't even noticed when someone had removed her clothes. What if he had…

"Don't worry, I had one of my maids dress you," he said, as if reading her thoughts. She almost felt grateful until he smirked and leaned closer to her to whisper his next words into her ear. "When I make a woman out of you, I want you to be able to remember it." Yuffie stood in fury, her eyes flashing and her teeth bared in a snarl.

"You'll  _never_  have me, Koichi! I belong to Vincent, in body and soul! You're nothing but a manipulative coward who has to resort to filthy tricks because you're too weak to win me honestly! You're not even half the man he is!"

In a split second, she had been knocked to the floor, her cheek stinging where Koichi had slapped her. She sat up and stared at him in disbelief. He was standing above her, his mouth twisted into a sickening sneer, and his fists were clenched at his sides as he contemplated striking her again.

"You had better learn to show me a little more respect, my dear," he growled as she stood shakily to glare at him again. "You will become my wife tonight at sunset, and I will own everything about you," he said, grabbing the front of her kimono in one fist and lifting her off the floor as he moved his face right next to hers. "And don't think I have any qualms about teaching a rebellious woman her place."

Yuffie paused for a moment, her eyes blazing with hatred. A second later she drew back and spat in his face; he gasped and let go of her before backhanding her hard across the face. She fell to her knees in a daze as blood dripped from her nose, but she still somehow managed to look up and give him a defiant glare.

"You would do well to prepare yourself for tonight, Yuffie," he whispered murderously. "I have waited a long time for my chance to lay claim to the princess of Wutai, and I will not have you deny me my prize." He held up a clear crystal that she instantly recognized as the Teleport Materia she had used to get to Kalm six months ago; when had he stolen it from her? "Thanks to you, we're far enough away from Wuxi that your precious Vincent couldn't catch up to us if he wanted to. So it would be best if you just forgot he ever existed, because you'll never see him again." She said nothing as he strode out of the room and slammed the door behind him; there was nothing worth saying. It wasn't long before the image of the red-eyed gunman came to her again, making fresh tears of fear and loneliness rise in her eyes. She buried her face in her hands, holding back sobs as the blood continued to weave between her fingers.

"Vincent, wherever you are, you'd better be okay..."


	6. He'll Never Understand

It had not been an incredibly long time after Koichi had left Yuffie alone in the locked bedroom when Godo entered, his eyes cold but his expression softer than it had been the night before. She was immediately suspicious, and she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned almost totally away from him, crossing her arms over her chest and not wanting to look at him any more than she had to. Her father sighed and sat down on the bed, looking down at his hands as he folded them on his lap.

"Yuffie, won't you sit down with me for a moment?" he asked as she continued to stare at the tiny window, wondering just how late in the morning it was and how long it would be until sunset. She reluctantly obliged, sitting as far away from him on the bed as she possibly could and focusing on a chip in the paint on the opposite wall.

"What do you want to talk about now?" she asked venomously. "Haven't you already done enough to try to control my life? Did you have to take away even my choice of who to love?" Godo rested his hand on hers, and she tensed but did not pull away.

"Yuffie, you have known that this was your duty since you were a little girl. I have never kept it a secret from you. So why do you fight against it so much now?"

"Because Koichi is an ass who obviously only loves power and money, not me," she answered through gritted teeth. "And I'm already in love with someone else who I'm pretty damn sure is in love with me too! Why can't you understand that?!"

"Yuffie, that man could never be worthy of the throne of Wutai. He's not even Wutaian –"

"He's one-quarter Wutaian, Dad, on his mother's side."

"You know what I mean, Yuffie," Godo said firmly, looking her in the face now. How had he aged so much without her noticing? "Koichi has been raised to lead people, and that is what this country needs right now. But he wasn't born royal and so cannot just take the throne – for that, he needs you."

"So now I'm just a cog in the political machine, right?" Yuffie asked bitterly. "I know I've never been much of a leader, Dad, but hearing you say it like that still kinda stings."

"You are not a cog, Yuffie, but you are not interested in leading. I know this, so I have gone out of my way to find someone who is. Can't you learn to appreciate the fact that I have only ever done what is in your best interest?"

" _This_  isn't my best interest!" Yuffie shouted, gesturing to the handprint on her cheek and the blood that had dripped down her chin onto the green kimono. "What's best for me is being back in Edge with all of the people who care about me, and loving Vincent!"

"Fine, Yuffie, say what you please," Godo said coldly, standing from the bed and walking toward the door. "But you are going to be married to Koichi tonight no matter how much you wish it otherwise, so you had best just accept it and stop being so selfish. And if you are under the impression that some washed-up, hard-hearted gunslinger is more worthy of your time than Koichi, then I truly have raised a fool."

"No, Father," Yuffie whispered sadly after he had closed the door and locked it behind him. "If that's what you think Vincent is, then you're the one who's a fool."

* * *

" _That was some good acting back at the palace, Valentine,_ " Chaos said to his host as the man fought his way through the undergrowth of the unbelievably thick forests. " _If I hadn't been sharing your body, I really would have thought you'd been near death._ "

" _If there's one thing I know after spending thirty years in a coffin,_ " Vincent answered dryly as he fought to free himself from a tangle of thorns that had suddenly caught on his cloak, " _it's how to play dead. I'm afraid my performance might have really frightened Yuffie, though…_ " Suddenly jerked out of his reverie, the gunman snorted in frustration as yet another piece of the red fabric tore loose, lost to the grip of the fiendish plants. If this kept up much longer, he wouldn't have a cloak left to tear.

" _If I might make a suggestion,_ " Chaos began as Vincent was forced to jump over another group of brambles. " _Maybe it would be easier to just let me take over and fly_ above _the trees? You've been at this for hours; it's already after noon, and we have no idea what time they plan on carrying out this ceremony. We may be too late if we don't hurry._ "

" _I'd love to right now, trust me, but it's just too risky. There's no way they'd leave Yuffie unsupervised, and her guards will definitely recognize us; at best they might try to shoot us down and at worst they might hurt Yuffie or try to hide her farther from us. If I want to catch them off guard, I'm going to have to put up with this – damn!_ " Vincent was stopped by a sudden pull on his cloak, this time the branch of a tree that had managed to stick itself through one of the holes in it.

"That is  _it_ ," he growled as he freed himself – again – and removed the cloak, folding it up and tucking the bundle between his belt and the back of his pants. "There," he muttered as he continued to sprint through the trees. "Now I should be able to get there without – Ouch!" He winced and looked upward at the knot of long black hair that was now stuck on a low-hanging branch. "Oh,  _wonderful_." Finally, his shoulders sagged as he released his breath in a growling sigh.

" _Alright, Chaos, you win. Are you ready to fly?_ "

" _I thought you'd never ask._ "

The powerful demon had taken over Vincent's body in little more than an instant, his great red wings unfurling with a loud snap as he stood to his full height. With one flap of the powerful wings, he was up above the treetops, soaring forward in the direction where Yuffie's scent was strongest. His golden eyes scanned every inch of the landscape, searching for a sign of the White Rose while he easily glided on the air currents high above the ground. He had already recovered from the long flight of the day before, and now his fury drove him forward as fast as he could go; kidnapping someone Vincent cared about was never a wise decision, but when it was someone Chaos liked too, well…  _that_  was a death sentence.

" _Do not harm the man when we get there, Chaos,_ " Vincent said, this time from the recesses of Chaos's mind.

" _Whaaaat? Why in the hell not?_ "

" _Because that's an honor reserved for me._ " Chaos smirked, flapping his wings harder as he caught a stronger trace of Yuffie's scent on the breeze and followed it.

" _Heheheh. You're gonna make that bastard wish he was dead, aren't you?_ "

" _Absolutely. And if he's lucky, I may just grant his wish._ "


	7. I Object!

As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky and the end of the day drew nearer, Yuffie began to experience her first real doubts that Vincent would be able to save her in time. After all, how could she have known he was even alive, let alone on the move halfway across Wutai to a city he had not even known about until that morning? She couldn't stop thinking about how pale he had been when she had last seen him, barely breathing and as limp as a corpse; whether he harbored Chaos or not, even Vincent could be kil – No, she couldn't think of such morbid things. He had to be alright; he wouldn't leave her like that, not so easily. He was strong, and she had to be, too.

The day wore on and her spirits sank lower and lower as the sky began to darken, the sunlight peeking out from behind the gathering clouds in fragile golden rays. All too soon, she finally heard the knock at the door she had been dreading. A young servant, probably no more than fifteen years old, entered the room, carrying a long lacquer box and a small jewelry case in her thin arms. Yuffie bit back a scathing comment about how stupid it was to knock since she couldn't open the door from inside anyway; this girl hadn't caused any of this, and it wouldn't be fair to take her frustration out on her. The girl bowed and gestured for her to sit down in front of the dressing table, which she did without a word. Yuffie maintained a stony, emotionless expression as the young woman began applying her makeup, putting powder on her face and neck and painting her lips a dark cherry color. She knew before she even looked at herself in the hand mirror the girl gave her that she looked like a porcelain doll; she had hated that look since she was little.

She continued to glower at her artificially feminine features in the mirror as the maid began brushing her hair, which she had recently grown down to just above her shoulders, back into a simple bun held in place by an ornate white headdress. Once that was done and it had been pinned in place, she left Yuffie for a moment and opened the long box, removing the first layer of a white wedding kimono from within it and indicating that Yuffie should take off the green one. Sighing, Yuffie reluctantly let the green silk slip to the floor, feeling very exposed and vulnerable in only the thin under-kimono she had been wearing underneath it. With ease only a lifetime of dressing royalty could have given her, the girl put all of the layers of the kimono on and tied them tight, making sure every last hem and sash was in its proper place. As much as Yuffie hated to admit it, the end result was truly beautiful, and she would have loved for Vincent to be the one seeing her in it.

For what seemed the millionth time that day, the princess of Wutai found herself praying to Leviathan that no matter what happened to her, Vincent would be alright, and that he would somehow be able to move on if she couldn't be by his side any longer. She didn't want to give up her freedom, but she would have done it a hundred times over if it would have saved Vincent the heartbreak he had experienced after losing Lucrecia; she would rather die than be the one who broke his heart like that again, but now it seemed she was about to do exactly that. He was a very strong man, and one of the kindest she had ever met, but his heart was still a very fragile thing, and she feared he would never recover if he lost his lover to another man for the second time in his life. Or, even worse, he would come to hate her for being the one to put him through that again.

No, she couldn't bear it if Vincent ever began to hate her. It would be more enjoyable to spend the rest of eternity with Koichi, and  _that_  was a fate worse than death.

"That is all for now, Yuffie-sama," the girl said quietly, bowing again and opening the door to leave. "Someone will be sent for you as soon as they are ready for the ceremony to begin. Congratulations on your marriage, Princess." With that, the girl was gone, leaving Yuffie alone in this damnable room again. Thunder began to rumble outside, and lightning flashed as the dark clouds completely swallowed up the weak rays of sun; it matched her current mood perfectly. She gritted her teeth and looked around the room for a way to free herself. There had to be  _something_  in here! Without a weapon of some sort, she knew she stood no chance of escape. She knew some martial arts, but not enough to take on Koichi, her father, and all of their attendants at once while completely unarmed.

"Think, Yuffie, think!" she whispered, looking for something,  _anything_  she could use to fight with long enough to create a chance to escape. She folded her arms over her chest, snorting in frustration, when a flash of lightning glinted off of something on the far side of the room. The large hand-mirror from earlier was still sitting on the dressing table, accidentally forgotten by the servant girl. A sly smile spread across her lips; it seemed Leviathan might have been listening, after all. After listening at the door to make sure there were no guards immediately nearby, she hurriedly smashed the mirror against one of the bedposts, grinning fiendishly as several large shards dropped out of the frame and onto the mattress. As quickly as she could, she slid two of the longest, sharpest pieces into her obi, knowing that the many layers of fabric between the glass and her ribs would offer at least some protection if she did not move too much. As soon as that was done, she lifted up the mattress and stuffed the broken glass and the handle of the mirror underneath it, hiding any trace of what she had just done.

When one of Koichi's attendants came to collect her for the ceremony, he was pleased to notice how joyful their princess suddenly seemed to be. He had worried about how she would take being forced into a marriage with his master, who was well-known to be temperamental and sometimes even cruel; he knew where that bruise on her cheek had come from, but she seemed to take no notice of it now. Perhaps she really had taken a shine to Koichi?

"You seem quite cheerful now, Yuffie-sama," he said softly, noticing the smile on her lips and the spark that had finally returned to her eyes. She turned to look at him, giving him a soft, demure smile so gentle that it immediately made his heart beat faster in his chest. The low light filtering through the windows really did highlight just how beautiful she looked in that ensemble.

"Yes, I am very happy," she said softly, carefully enunciating every word the way her father had tried to get her to do for most of her life. When the man looked away, trying to hide the blush that had crept into his cheeks, she allowed herself the briefest grin of pure, spiteful glee. " _Oh, boy, am I_ ," she thought, listening to the thunder outside and feeling encouraged by the sound. " _That uptight pretty-boy's about to learn just why no one messes with the White Rose of Wutai! Look out, Koichi, here I come!_ "

* * *

By the time Vincent spotted people beginning to file out onto the grounds of the temple, he had already been in Xi'an for several hours, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move. Had he been a man of lesser patience, he would never have been able to hold out this long. Chaos had immediately sensed Yuffie's presence when they had landed on the roof of the temple, and he had also noticed the scent of Yuffie's blood hanging ever so faintly in the air. After he had heard that, Vincent had wanted nothing more than to break in and sweep her up in his arms, disappearing before anyone was any the wiser. However, he was no fool; he knew if he simply took her away Godo and Koichi would follow, maybe all the way back to Edge. He had to be sure they  _knew_  he was taking Yuffie back, and that it would be in their best interests if he never saw either of them again.

So there he had waited, well-hidden behind a large rooftop statue of Leviathan, while the clouds had slowly gathered overhead and blocked out the setting sun. As the thunder began to roll, he moved to crouch closer to the edge of the roof, still just out of view of anyone on the ground. He flattened himself out against the roof as he spotted Koichi, who strode across the temple grounds to stand before the altar just beneath Vincent. The darkening skies helped hide the gunman's presence even more, but he hoped this would begin before it could start to storm. Looking at Koichi's disgustingly smug face had already put him in a sour mood; being soaked to the bone would definitely not help cheer him up. As his crimson eyes scanned the ground for a sign of Yuffie, his breath suddenly caught in his chest.

She had just stepped out of the building across from the temple, accompanied by her father as he guided her toward the temple's altar. Despite how furious he was that any of this was happening, he could not help thinking of just how beautiful she looked, and what a perfect bride she made. It made his heart race, and for a moment he almost forgot where he was as he stared at the delicate white silk kimono and the way she carried herself so gracefully now. He shook his head quickly, refocusing as the pair reached Koichi and Yuffie was handed over to her soon-to-be husband. He could see how calm – and maybe even happy – she looked now, and he couldn't make sense of it. He knew she didn't want to marry Koichi, so why did she look so sure of herself? Well, no time for questions like that; it was almost time to make his move.

The only people there to witness the wedding were Godo and some of the monks from the temple; although Vincent did not know it, tradition dictated that only the current ruler and the future rulers were to bear witness to the union. One of the monks almost immediately began to recite some sort of marriage vows in Wutaian, instructing Koichi to repeat after him. As soon as Koichi had said his part, the man turned to Yuffie, speaking a slightly different set of vows and waiting for her to repeat them. She did so, a strange glint in her eyes as she stared steadily at Koichi. Vincent tensed, his entire body poised to spring. Any moment now… The monk nodded before turning to address Godo, and Vincent was thankful he knew enough Wutaian to get the general message of his question: " _Is there anyone among us who does not approve of this union?_ "

That was Vincent's cue. With barely a sound, he sprang off the roof, landing nimbly between Yuffie and Koichi and standing protectively in front of her.

"That would be me," he said in the lowest, most threatening voice he could muster, which was made extremely difficult when he was suddenly feeling so happy. The monks did not move, watching the scene in stunned silence. Yuffie gasped and squeaked in shock, clearly not expecting to see him, before hugging him tightly and burying her face in his shirt as she began to sob quietly.

"Vincent! Oh, gods, Vincent, it's really you!" she cried as she hugged him tighter. "Y-you were s-so weak before, and I th-thought you might… might be…" Suddenly she looked up at him, her lips still quivering as tears dripped down her face. "Don't you ever do t-that to me  _again_ , y-you big jerk! I thought you were g-gonna die!"

"Shh... I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm alright. Everything's alright," he whispered, hugging her closer to him and staring coldly over the top of her head at Koichi. "We'll go back together now, Yuffie."

"You most certainly will not!" Godo shouted. As if they were made of thin air, several of his guards seemed to materialize around them, grabbing Vincent's arms and yanking him away from Yuffie, who was grabbed by Koichi before she could make a move to run. Vincent snarled at the guards, who only added more to the group that was holding onto every inch of him they could reach.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Yuffie shouted, trying to reach the pieces of glass in her obi as Koichi began to drag her back toward the altar. He just grabbed both of her wrists tighter, and she growled as he pulled her close to him and attempted to kiss her right then and there, in plain view of Vincent. Right before his lips reached hers, she pulled her head back and slammed it into his nose, smirking when she heard a loud "crack" on contact. Koichi blinked at her for a moment, stunned, before his face contorted in rage. In an instant, he had drawn back his fist and punched her, hard, across the face. She blinked rapidly and sank to her knees, her head spinning as she tried to fight back the stars exploding behind her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of terrified screams, followed by a low, deep growl that sent shivers up her spine. Whirling around, she could see Vincent staring down Koichi with murder in his eyes as he threw Godo's guards aside like paper.

"Koichi Taishi," he whispered, a pair of long fangs beginning to reach over his lower lip and his eyes starting to glow gold. "You have just made the gravest mistake of your life."


	8. No Daughter of Yours

The very air seemed to crackle with tension for several moments after Vincent had spoken. The monks of the temple shrank back into the shadows, terrified by the fury they could feel emanating from the two men who had begun to draw closer to each other with slow, calculated steps. Rain began to fall as Vincent growled and curled his lips back in a snarl, revealing a mouthful of long, sharp fangs that Chaos had been only too happy to lend him. He flexed his clawed hand menacingly, barely listening as Chaos shouted suggestions for ways to kill the other man; he knew plenty of ways to do that on his own.

"It's not too late to back off now, Valentine," Koichi said with a smug grin, sinking into a fighting stance even as he spoke. "Just leave Yuffie to me and I might let you escape with your life. If not, however, I will be forced to kill you." Vincent threw back his head and let out a harsh, barking laugh, the whites of his eyes glowing with a strange golden light that reflected off of some of the falling raindrops.

"I'd like to see you try. Let's see if you fight as well as you claim you do."

"Very well. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Vincent tensed, seeing Koichi's muscles move an instant before the warrior sprang at him with a katana clenched in his fist. He reached for Cerberus, but to his surprise it was not in its holster. He barely dodged out of the way as Koichi struck at him, losing several strands of wet black hair as he twisted under the swing of the blade and landed on his feet a short distance behind the Wutaian. With strength and speed he had not thought possible for an unenhanced human, Koichi whirled around again, almost managing to land a kick on Vincent before he blocked it with his gauntlet; he could hear Yuffie gasp in horror at how close he had come to being hit. The gunman sighed, cursing his luck. Hand-to-hand combat had never been his strong suit, but until he could find Cerberus it seemed he had no choice.

The two went at it again in a whirlwind of kicks and slashes, neither managing to land a hit but coming very close each time. Koichi was smaller and faster than Vincent, and had studied martial arts his entire life; his attacks were hard to predict and incredibly quick, like a cobra strike, and Vincent was barely managing to block them, let alone counterattack effectively. Granted, he was also distracted with keeping Yuffie well out of the fray, but that was usually still an easier task than it was right now. He threw a punch at Koichi, managing to catch him in the side of the jaw and noting the way the bone gave easily under his hand. The other man snarled and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, but seemed otherwise unfazed. He slashed at Vincent with his katana, and the gunman bent over backwards, laying his palms on the slick ground and kicking his feet up over his head; the tip of one of his metal shoes raked across Koichi's chest, leaving a deep gash, while Vincent was left with only a small cut that had come dangerously close to his left eye.

Again, Vincent observed that Koichi seemed not to notice the pain of his wound, charging back toward him with his katana drawn. Vincent slashed at him with his clawed hand, leaving four long gashes down his arm; he dropped his katana but did not miss a step, instead aiming a kick at Vincent's suddenly exposed body. It made contact and Vincent winced, feeling a few ribs crack. He jumped backwards, still scanning the ground for Cerberus as he dodged punches and kicks from Koichi. Finally, he spotted it on the ground not far from where he was standing, almost buried in the tall grass. Running forward on long legs, he reached down and grabbed it, turning and aiming it just as Koichi caught up with him. He pulled the trigger, but Koichi managed to hit his hand just as he did; the bullet left a shallow gash on the Wutaian's arm but didn't kill him as it was supposed to. Vincent hurried to shoot again, but these were far from ideal conditions for the marksman; the rain and wind made it hard to get a good grip on Cerberus, and Koichi was too close and fast to get a decent shot. He fired two more bullets, each missing by only inches and leaving shallow cuts on the other man's body.

Beginning to tire and realizing the danger he was in, Koichi lunged at Vincent with his katana, aiming to stab him through the neck. Vincent raised his metallic arm, intending to deflect the blade as he had done several times already. Instead of letting the edge of the blade glance off of the gauntlet, however, Koichi turned it just in time to stab the tip of the blade into the palm of the gunman's hand. It pierced the metal with horrifying ease, and Vincent cried out in pain as the blade travelled straight up through his gauntlet all the way into the flesh of his left bicep. Koichi jerked the blade back out, further damaging the prosthetic arm as he did, and watched in satisfaction as the limb hung useless at Vincent's side. Yuffie gasped in horror, leaping to her feet and doing her level best to fight through the group of guards to get to Vincent; his jaw was clenched in pain, and blood was beginning to pool around his feet.

If Koichi thought that Vincent would be stopped by something like that, however, he was sorely mistaken. The gunman pulled himself up straighter, seeing the look Koichi was giving Yuffie and determined to kill him before he could touch her again. He lunged at the Wutaian again, using his full weight to tackle him to the ground and hitting him across the head with Cerberus. Koichi fought blacking out as blood ran down his face from the split in his skull, grabbing Vincent around the throat as the gunslinger pointed Cerberus at him. Vincent just smirked, and Koichi finally began to feel the beginnings of utter terror as he looked into the fiery-red eyes of the ebony-haired gunman. Vincent's lips curled back in a sneer, and he pressed the barrel of Cerberus to the younger man's head before driving the tips of his damaged claws deep into the Wutaian's chest, grabbing his heart in his fist. Koichi gasped and choked as blood began leaking from his mouth, and Vincent chuckled mirthlessly, making a shudder run up the dying man's spine.

"Let this be a lesson to you," Vincent growled, Chaos's fangs making his words sound strange and lisped, but somehow even more intimidating. "Lay a hand on anyone I care about…" He tightened his finger on the trigger, and Koichi's body lurched as the bullet pierced his skull and ended his miserable life. "…and it will be the last thing you ever do."

With an exhausted sigh, Vincent stood, kicking Koichi's limp corpse away from him and flicking the blood from his gauntlet as he began making his way toward Godo; the emperor met his gaze steadily, unmoving and unflinching as the blood-soaked gunman made his way toward him. Vincent did not see one of the guards stooping down to retrieve Koichi's katana as he made his way toward Yuffie's father, and the rain masked his footsteps and the sound of Yuffie's warning screams. Just before he reached Godo, the guard lunged at him from behind, driving the katana through his back and stomach before jerking it roughly back through. Vincent gasped in pain and fell to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound as the guard prepared to strike him again. An instant before he could make his move, the guard suddenly dropped to the ground. Through his now blurred vision, Vincent could see the point of an enormous shuriken sticking out of the man's back, exactly where his spine was. He turned slightly, smiling gratefully at Yuffie before he groaned and collapsed onto the ground.

" _Valentine, I need to take over now. We have to get out of here so you can have a chance to heal,_ " Chaos said in what sounded like a very faint voice to Vincent's tired mind.

" _Do… as you wish…_ " Vincent said mentally, lurching slightly as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. " _I don't have the strength to resist you now, anyway._ "

" _You did well. I'll get Yuffie out of here; just rest for now._ "

" _Thank you… Chaos…_ "

Yuffie reached Vincent just as Chaos began to take over, turning his skin a pale blue as a pair of wings unfurled behind his back and his eyes began glowing a bright gold. Knowing the demon could handle himself for a moment, she made her way over to Godo, picking up the katana the guard had used on Vincent and holding it up against his throat. He looked at her in shock, never imagining that his daughter would be willing to threaten her own father.

"Godo Kisaragi," Yuffie said loudly, her voice strong and unwavering as she stared into his wide eyes. "You and the rest of Wutai can stay here and rot; I wash my hands of all of you. From today on, I am no longer the daughter of the Kisaragi clan – I am no daughter of yours. And if I see  _any_  of you anywhere near me or my friends again, I'll have this entire country signed over to Rufus ShinRa in a heartbeat. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life, Godo, and good luck finding a new ruler by then."

With that, she spun on her heel, tossing the katana at his feet and letting Chaos slip his arms around her. Before Godo could think of anything to say to her, she had already vanished into the dark clouds, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time.


	9. Unexpected Allies

Yuffie held herself close to Chaos as he carried them over the treetops, shivering when the rain soaked her skin and dripped down from his leathery wings in a thick curtain. The storm continued to rage with ever-increasing fury, and the rain was already so thick that she could barely see her hand in front of her face. Chaos continued forward without complaint, even though it was clear he was in some sort of distress. Yuffie could hear his breathing growing labored, and his body was trembling hard enough that she was able to feel it against hers. She drew closer to him, thinking perhaps he was cold and the heat would help, but was surprised when he hissed and pulled back, pushing her away from his body.

"Human… I'm afraid… We may have to land now…" he growled, clenching his teeth in frustration. "My host's body was too weakened for me to take over fully, but if I keep up even this level of control much longer it will greatly slow his healing. Is it alright if we land among those trees for a while?"

"Of course!" Yuffie nearly shouted, her heart hammering with worry. "I don't want anything happening to either of you, so do what you need to." Chaos nodded and banked steeply, diving down to the trees beneath them and pulling back sharply just before they hit the forest floor. The second he had set her on the sodden ground, Chaos receded into Vincent's body; the gunman cried out in pain as his body changed shape again, stretching his wounds and broken bones. Yuffie hurriedly knelt beside him, brushing his wet black hair out of his face and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She was alarmed to see how much he was already bleeding again; the wound in his abdomen had gotten wider when he transformed into Chaos, and there was still a copious amount of blood dripping through the hole in his prosthetic arm.

"Vince, I'm going to take this shirt off so I can look at your wounds, alright?"

"You don't have to, Yuffie," he said softly. "If I just rest here, I'll heal on my –"Vincent suddenly gasped and paled, leaning to the side and coughing wetly. When he straightened, there was blood running between his fingers and down his chin. Yuffie managed not to panic, gently unfastening the buttons and buckles on Vincent's shirt and dropping it down onto the ground so she could examine the wound in his stomach. It was deep; she knew the blade had started in his back, so for it to have exited out the front… She swallowed back a surge of fear, remembering that she had no Cure materia with her since all of her possessions had been taken. Even if he wasn't going to die from these wounds, they would still weaken him significantly if left untreated. There had to be  _something_  she could do…

She suddenly remembered the two pieces of glass she had stashed in her obi, and hurriedly thanked every god on the planet for her good fortune. Careful not to cut herself, she removed them from her obi, tossing one into the brush before stabbing the other through the sleeve of her kimono and ripping a large strip of white silk from the garment. Vincent watched, curious, while she cut the strip in half and wadded the two pieces up. When she started to approach him with them, he knew what she was going to do. He managed to keep himself from making a sound when she pressed one piece into each side of the deep stab wound, letting the silk act like gauze and hopefully ease some of the bleeding.

Next she untied the obi from around her kimono, wrapping it around him instead to keep his broken ribs stable and hold the silk pieces in place. He let her do as she wished, thankful for how gentle she was and how much her very presence took away much of his pain. Finally, she finished tying off the long obi and helped him move under a thick tree; it was still wet underneath, but at least it was out of the heaviest part of the downpour. She sat back against the tree, pulling him to lie back against her while she wrapped her arms around him. He leaned back, fatigue begging him to succumb to sleep. He resisted, still too on edge to relax until he had brought them safely back to Edge. Yuffie sighed, beginning to knead his shoulders as she stared up at the endless stream of rain.

"You're not going to sleep even if I tell you to, are you?" she asked with a gentle smile. Vincent gave her a weak smile in return, shrugging sheepishly.

"I would if I could, believe me. But there will be plenty of time for that once we're home."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Well, if you can't sleep, at least lie here and recover, okay? I'm not going anywhere, so you don't have to be on guard so much." Vincent nodded, leaning further against her and sighing tiredly. She looked up at the sky again, wishing she still had her phone so she could at least call someone and tell them where they were. " _Oh, well,_ " she thought with a tiny smile. " _At least if I have to be out in this weather, I've got Vinnie with me. And now, we wait…_ "

* * *

When Yuffie stirred again, she wasn't sure whether minutes or hours had passed. At first she couldn't place what had awakened her. Vincent had settled down to lie on her lap, a great deal more relaxed than he had been earlier, and she had finally managed to doze off using the gunman as a sort of blanket. After a moment, though, she realized that there was something rumbling overhead that was not thunder. She looked around for a moment, alarmed by the way the trees were thrashing in the sudden wind. Was it a hurricane?!

A beam of light suddenly shone down on Vincent and Yuffie, and they both tensed as they recognized the shape of a helicopter descending onto the forest floor just in front of them. Vincent stood shakily, holding himself protectively in front of Yuffie with Cerberus drawn, waiting to see who had pursued them. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and Yuffie was reminded once again of just how determined the gunslinger really was to protect someone once he'd made up his mind to. A moment later, the door of the helicopter opened; Vincent tightened his grip on Cerberus, ready to shoot as soon as he needed to.

A pair of bodies stepped out onto the ground, their faces still masked in shadow. When the first of the pair finally stepped out into the light, though, Vincent relaxed immediately, re-holstering Cerberus and leaning exhaustedly back against one of the trees.

"Vincent! Yuffie!" Tseng shouted, his long black hair blowing wildly in the wind created by the chopper's blades. "Thank the gods we found you. Hurry and come with us, we need to get you back to Edge before anyone decides to come looking for you." He strode over to the pair of them, Rude emerging from the shadows and following silently behind him.

"How did you know we were here?" Yuffie shouted over the noise of the storm.

"There's no time to talk about that now. We need to get you both home." When he saw the blood splattered across Yuffie's white kimono, his eyes widened with concern. "Are you hurt?" he asked, indicating the stains.

"No, this is all Vincent's," she said in a small voice, noticing that the act of standing seemed to have reopened the red-eyed man's wounds. Tseng hurried to his side, and the two of them talked softly while Rude escorted Yuffie to the chopper. A moment later, Tseng stepped inside, carrying a very ruffled-looking Vincent to the back of the helicopter. He set the gunman down on his back, motioning for Reno to take off as he began examining the wounds. Vincent barely reacted to having the large stab wound poked and prodded, but at the slightest touch to the gauntlet he hissed and jerked it away. Tseng frowned, concerned, as Vincent held the limb protectively against his body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, putting a hand on Vincent's shoulder when the gunman's breathing had calmed again and his eyes had lost their wild edge.

"Yes, I'm sorry… Sometimes I still…" He lowered his gaze, hating to reveal something so personal to the Turks but not wanting them to worry too much about him. "I still get phantom pains in this arm once in a while, and having it stabbed in a very similar way to how I lost it…"

"I understand. I'm sorry," Tseng said gently, taking his hands far away from the gauntlet. Vincent began to thank him, but instead choked on his inhaled breath, bringing up several mouthfuls of blood into his hands as he hacked and coughed. The Wutaian Turk stood quickly and retrieved an oxygen mask, bringing it back to Vincent while Rude filled a needle with something Vincent couldn't identify. He barely noticed when Rude gave him the shot, but very soon his vision was blackening at the edges, and he was breathing easier as soon as Tseng slipped the oxygen mask over his face. He could hear Yuffie beginning to question them about what they had just given him, and he wanted to ask the same thing. But before he could even think of the words for the question, he had slipped into the darkness, finally asleep whether he wanted to be or not.


	10. A Place to Belong

_Crimson eyes slowly fluttered open behind long black eyelashes, standing out like rubies against the ghostly white of their owner's face. The pale man blinked slowly, groaning and holding a hand to his head before hesitantly sitting up and taking in his surroundings. The chamber was small and sparsely decorated, with moldy, dusty walls and bars across the only tiny window in sight; the entire place smelled of death and decay. The remains of a small fire smoldered in an old fireplace on the other side of the room, giving off only the faintest of lights and causing the shadows to dance hauntingly across the floors and drip down the walls like black blood. Vincent shivered, pulling his cloak tighter around him as a gust of icy wind blew in through the barred window and snuffed out the last of the glowing coals._

_"Where… am I?"_   _he asked himself quietly, not recognizing any part of this eerie, dark place._   _He stood from his seat on the old bed, looking for a doorway or other type of exit, but there did not seem to be one. The window, then. He paused, trying to think of the best way to remove the bars without drawing attention to himself; he did not know how he got there, after all, so an enemy could be lying in wait for him to do just that. "Where am I?"_

_"This is the place where you will spend eternity," answered a soft, angry voice. Vincent's head turned instinctively toward the sound, and he froze in place as soon as his eyes locked on the two figures suddenly standing before him. A man and a woman, both dressed in ornate kimono better suited to a wedding than this strange prison, stood hand-in-hand, glaring at him with cold, dead eyes. The gunslinger's heart nearly stopped in his chest when he realized that the woman was Yuffie, accompanied by Koichi. The Wutaian noble looked the same as he had just before their battle, but Yuffie seemed much older, perhaps in her mid-to-late thirties. While Vincent watched in horror, she turned toward Koichi and pulled his head down toward her, kissing him deeply and moaning with pleasure._

_"Yuffie!" Vincent nearly shouted, stunned by what he was seeing. She slowly pulled her lips away from Koichi's, giving Vincent a pitying look with those strangely empty eyes of hers._

_"What, did you think I was yours just because you killed him, Vinnie?" she sneered, striding over to him and running her hand mockingly down his cheek and jaw. "Did you think I_ loved  _you? Who could_ ever  _love a monster like you?"_

_"Yu… Yuffie… What…?" Vincent choked out, completely shocked by all of this. What had he missed? When had Yuffie changed so much? The White Rose of Wutai threw her head back and laughed, a hollow, bitter sound that would never have belonged to the cheery woman he loved._

_"You poor, pitiful fool," she said venomously, glaring at him even as she bared her teeth in a twisted grin. "I could never love you. Not after what you did to me." Before Vincent had a chance to ask what she meant, she had grabbed the left sleeve of her kimono, yanking it up to her elbow to show her arm to him. Or where her arm should have been. Instead, she now possessed a steel prosthesis very similar to his own, marked with several strange symbols that had meaning only to the royal family of Wutai._

_"Yuffie, what do you mean I did that to you?" Vincent whispered, gasping in pain as his own metal arm began to burn white-hot. "This has to be… some mistake… I would_ never _hurt you!" She glared at him again, letting the sleeve hide the prosthetic arm once again. Suddenly she screamed in pain, clutching her chest as blood spurted out from beneath her hand._

_"You did this, Vincent!" she screamed as he tried and failed to get his body to move, to go to her. "You did this to me! We should have just left you in that coffin all those years ago; look what's happened to me because of you!" Strange bleeding cuts began to appear all over her body, staining her white kimono with sickening red blotches. Koichi stared furiously at Vincent, holding Yuffie close to him as she continued to gasp in pain. "You promised you would never hurt me, and I trusted you! How could you, Vincent?! How could you?! Vincent… Vincent…"_

* * *

"Vincent!"

The gunslinger awoke with a gasp, sitting up and almost striking the person seated beside him.

"Whoa, whoa!" Cid said as he dodged Vincent's fist. "Easy, there, it's just me." He placed a broad hand on his friend's shoulder, settling him back against one of the pillows balanced in front of the headboard. "Yer at my house, and you've been here since midnight – about, eh, four hours ago. Yuffie's downstairs with Shera; everything's okay." Vincent closed his eyes and focused on steadying his breaths, which at the moment were coming in quick, harsh pants. When he had finally managed to breathe normally again, he opened his eyes, gratefully accepting the glass of water Cid offered him. "What was it about his time?" the blond asked, already very familiar with his friend's frequent night terrors. Vincent shook his head slowly, pushing his hair back from his eyes and sighing tiredly.

"It was… nothing important," he said dismissively, taking a sip of the water and hoping Cid would let it go. Cid, of course, did nothing of the sort.

"Wasn't important, my ass!" he nearly shouted. "When someone like you's screamin' like he's about ta be murdered, it's definitely important!" Vincent colored a dark shade of red, and Cid shook his head and sighed, regretting the fact that he hadn't remembered how easily embarrassed Vincent was. "Look, Vince, I didn't mean it to sound like yer weak or anything, okay? Ya know I don't think you are. I just thought if I could help –"

"I know, Cid," Vincent said with a heavy sigh. "And I appreciate the thought. But I think the first person I need to talk to is Yuf…fie…" He trailed off slowly, his eyes widening as he noticed something odd about his left arm. The entire gauntlet was gone, leaving him without any limb below the elbow and only the brass-plated attachment point to show that it had ever been there. "Cid… What happened to – Where's my –" he began, feeling the first stages of panic creeping up on him. Of all of the things Hojo had done to his body, the loss of his left arm was the one he hated most. He had never wanted anyone to see him without that gauntlet, to see how much weaker he was with only one arm.

"Don't worry, you'll get it back," Cid said reassuringly, patting Vincent's shoulder. "That Koichi bastard really did a number on it, though, so we had to call Reeve to fix it. He's downstairs now, actually. Wanna go see how it's comin' along? I think the Turks are still down there, too; they wanted to see ya when ya woke up." Vincent nodded, still a bit dazed, and slowly stood from the bed. He was relieved to notice that although his chest was still wrapped in red-stained bandages, the worst of the bleeding had stopped and Chaos's powers had already begun sealing the deep stab wound. Cid led him out of the guest room and down the stairs, careful to stay in front of Vincent in case his balance was still off.

They made it to the kitchen without incident, and Vincent was surprised at how many eager faces were there to greet them. Shera stood near the counter, holding the newest addition to the Highwind family; she was blonde-haired and blue-eyed like her father, and she had been named Rozalynne, meaning "little rose." Reeve was sitting at the kitchen table, working on repairing the badly broken gauntlet while Yuffie watched him like a hawk; all four of the Turks were sitting or standing in various parts of the room, listening more than talking as they and Reeve discussed some of the plans being made between Rufus ShinRa and the W.R.O.

"Vincent!" Yuffie shouted, rushing over to him and wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace with his one functional arm, laying his chin on her head and holding her almost painfully tightly as he recalled everything they had gone through in the last few days. Yuffie ran her hand down his other arm, tracing the brass plating around the end of his bicep and smiling brightly at him. "Reeve's working on your gauntlet now, so you should have it back soon, okay?" He remained quiet, the words of the dream-Yuffie echoing in his mind. He shook his head, reminding himself that  _this_  was the real Yuffie in front of him, not the nightmares conjured up by his troubled subconscious. "Vinnie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered with a small, genuine smile. She really did care what happened to him; it was just a dream, after all. He was exactly where he belonged, and nothing would ever change that if he could help it. "Nothing at all. I'm just glad to have you back."

"I'm glad to be back," Yuffie said quietly, leaning against his side and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad it was you I asked to come to Wutai with me, Vincent. Without you I'd probably be married to that… that…" She wiped a tear from her eye, leaning into him again as she did. "Oh, gods, Vince, I'm just so glad you came for me!" Vincent stared at her for a moment before pushing her away enough that she was looking into his eyes.

"I will  _always_  come for you, Yuffie."

Yuffie smiled brightly, her next words muffled as she buried her face in his chest. "I never doubted that, Vincent."

"Aww, that's so sweet, yo!" Reno said from his position by the kitchen door. "Looks like you're getting soft on us, Valentine!"

"Don't bet on that, Reno," Tseng warned from his seat beside Reeve. "Vincent Valentine is one you do  _not_  want to underestimate."

"I could say the same about you," Vincent said with the slightest of smirks. "How did you know Yuffie and I were missing? And even knowing that, how could you possibly have found us in the middle of that jungle in that bad of a storm?" Tseng looked steadily at Vincent, his eyes betraying nothing as he brushed a lock of long black hair over his shoulder.

"Believe it or not, we were actually going to pay you a visit late last night. We had some rather important business to discuss with you, but since you weren't in, we decided to ask around and see if anyone had heard from you. About that time, we got a call from Cid asking us to go out and look for you. He said you and Yuffie had left for Wutai the day before and when her cell phone suddenly stopped working and you didn't answer yours, he got worried. Luckily, we were still able to track the GPS chip in your phone and find you fairly easily." The room fell silent after Tseng's explanation. Cid cleared his throat and looked away sheepishly when Vincent and Yuffie turned toward him, both wearing expressions of slight amusement.

"Well hell, I mean…" he began, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly. "Somethin' about the whole thing just didn't seem right, y'know? I got kinda worried, but I couldn't leave Shera alone since she was still real out of it, and –" He was cut off as Yuffie grabbed him in a tight hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him until he finally managed to pry her off. "Damn, Vincent," he said, coughing and rubbing his throat. "How d'you put up with that all the time? She damn near broke my spine!" Vincent smirked and shrugged, stoic as ever. Yuffie just laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Cid, you have no idea what you just did for us," she said, tempted to hug him again. "You're not as much of a crusty old jerk as you want us to believe, are you?"

"Nah, I'm still a mean ol' bastard and you know it," he said with a grin. "But after all we've been through over the years, I figured it'd be a bad idea to let something happen to you guys – even you, Brat." With that, he stepped outside through the kitchen door to have a cigarette, leaving Yuffie to stick her tongue out at his retreating back. Tseng stood almost immediately, looking at Vincent as he rose.

"Well, then, Vincent," he began, straightening his coat without seeming to notice he was doing it. "If you're feeling well enough, I was hoping we could have a little chat. After all, that's what I just travelled across the world for."


	11. Back in Black

Vincent glided down the hall as silently as a phantom, watching Tseng warily while he followed the Turk into Cid's living room and closed the door behind them. Tseng lowered himself into one of the armchairs near the window, sitting stiffly until it was clear that Vincent was going to remain standing, at which point he allowed himself to relax slightly.

"So what's this about?" the gunman asked softly after Tseng did not immediately begin to explain.

"Would you like the long explanation or the short one?" the Wutaian asked casually. Vincent shrugged.

"It's not like I have many places I need to be right now. Either is fine." Tseng nodded, folding his hands in his lap before beginning to speak.

"Right. Well, I came to talk to you because Rufus ShinRa personally requested I do so. The W.R.O. and its partners have become quite a force to be reckoned with. Reeve Tuesti is now the head of the largest organization on the continent, and he could take control of the entire city at any time, if he wished."

"I don't think that would ever cross Reeve's mind," Vincent said, smiling to himself at the idea of the mild-mannered engineer trying to control the world like ShinRa Sr. – or even Rufus – once had. Ruling with an iron fist was definitely not one of Reeve's strong suits.

"I know that, and so does Reeve. But, as is the case when any company becomes so large, the public is beginning to fear that the W.R.O. will stray from its roots and go the way of Shin-Ra, controlling people through fear and violence. We need people like you, people who are accustomed to blending into the shadows and remaining inconspicuous, to help us seek out the enemies of the W.R.O. and stop them from slowing down this planet's recovery. We need an ex-Turk. Namely, we need you – the  _only_  man to  _ever_  be called an 'ex-Turk.'" Vincent's eyes flashed dangerously before narrowing to angry slits.

"Was that the only reason you rescued us?" he growled. "So you could hold it over my head if I chose not to join you?" Tseng looked genuinely surprised by this question, and it took him a moment to think of an appropriate response.

"No, not at all," he said evenly, regaining his mask of calm remarkably quickly. "We aren't the same Turks you used to work for, Vincent. If you don't want to join us, we won't force you. Rufus is well aware that it's never wise to hurt and blackmail the people who are supposed to protect you. His father found that out the hard way; all of his Turks conveniently disappeared when Sephiroth came to do away with him. No, we only want your help if it is something you want to do." Vincent's expression softened immediately, and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "You would be brought back at a higher rank, of course, possibly higher than mine. You've gained too much experience in the last thirty years for us to call you a 'rookie.'"

"Why are you seeking me out  _now_ , though?" he finally asked, his blood-colored eyes searching Tseng's black ones for any sign of malicious intent. "Wouldn't it just be easier to promote one of your younger Turks instead of chasing after someone who hasn't been a part of Shin-Ra in thirty-five years?"

"No, actually, it wouldn't. You've seen things that no training program can ever simulate, and you have more experience than any of the current Turks do now – that includes me. Yuffie also told us about her father's clumsy attempt to drug you. The way you handled it tells me you still remember most – if not all – of your training, even after all these years. And killing Koichi Taishi was no easy feat; he was a very skilled martial artist and military leader, and ruthless as they come. None of us could have escaped with such minor injuries."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Tseng," Vincent said with the slightest of smirks. Tseng chuckled, repositioning his hands in his lap as he shifted again. "But before I give you my answer, I have a question of my own."

"Yes?"

"If I were to rejoin the Turks, who would I be working for?"

"You'll be working for me," Reeve said, opening the door and striding in beside Yuffie with Vincent's newly-repaired gauntlet cradled securely in his arms. "Or at least most of the time you will be. These days all of the Turks take turns working for either me or Rufus."

"Yes," Tseng said, nodding in agreement. "Although since you've worked personally with the Commissioner before, Vincent, you'll probably be spending at least the first few months working mostly for him." Vincent only half-listened as Reeve motioned for him to sit down and began carefully reattaching his prosthetic arm, making sure every last piece was perfectly aligned before giving Vincent a pat on the back and beaming at him.

"There, good as new!" Reeve said happily, watching as Vincent flexed the claws and turned his arm over from one side to the other, looking for any sign of the years' worth of small scratches and dents that Reeve had somehow managed to remove. It was exactly the same weight as before, completely unchanged in feel but looking better than it had three decades ago.

"Wooow, Vinnie!" Yuffie said excitedly, running her fingers down the length of the gauntlet. "It's even prettier than before!" Had he been anyone else, Vincent would have snorted; only Yuffie would call something like that _pretty_.

"Thank you, Reeve," Vincent said quietly, still admiring the engineer's handiwork.

"Any time. Oh, and here," he said, pressing five slender brass objects into Vincent's palm. "They're for blunting your claws any time you feel you need to," he replied to Vincent's questioning look. "Just slip them over the tips when you want to hide the sharp parts and slip them off when you don't." Vincent accepted them gratefully, slipping them over the tips of his claws immediately.

"So whatcha gonna do, Vince?" Yuffie asked, plopping down beside him on the couch and snuggling herself under his left arm. "I think the Turks really want you back. I hear Rufus pays really well."

"Yes, he does," Tseng said with a small smile. "He's a very generous man, believe it or not. He's changed more than you can imagine since he became the head of Shin-Ra. We're all a bit like a strange adopted family, even though he's also the one that signs our checks."

"That's definitely different than when I was a Turk," Vincent said, looking upward as he thought about this from every angle. Finally, he turned to Yuffie, taking a deep breath before asking his next question. "Yuffie, how would you feel if I agreed to do this?" Yuffie's eyes widened. She could see something in Vincent's gaze that told her he was actually very interested in this offer. She hadn't known that he had missed the Turks so much; he had never mentioned it to anyone. Her eyes brightened as a toothy grin worked its way across her lips.

"I say go for it, Vinnie!" she said cheerily, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "If you wanna be a Turk again, I sure won't stop you."

"And you're not just saying that for my sake?"

"Nope. You know I'd tell you if it bothered me, Vinnie." They both suddenly heard the sound of a baby crying, and Yuffie bolted up from the couch to go back to the kitchen. "You just settle up with Tseng, okay?" she said as she walked toward the door. "I'm gonna go help Shera with Rozalynne. Oooh, that little girl is so  _cuuute_!" Tseng watched Yuffie sprint out of the room with a hint of amusement, turning back to Vincent when Reeve had come to stand beside him.

"So, Vincent, I take it you'll accept our request?" Reeve asked anxiously.

"Yes, I will," Vincent said with a short nod. "I didn't get the sense that either of you were lying to me about any of this, and I've honestly missed having some kind of job to do."

"Good. So when you come back, I think you'll be reinstated as head of the Turks and –"

"No," Vincent said firmly, causing the Commissioner to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not meant to lead. You can raise me up to the level beneath Tseng, if you want, but no higher. I prefer taking orders to giving them."

"I see," Reeve said, surprised but not insulted. "Well if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. Do you think you'll be fit to start in three days?"

"Definitely."

"Good. I'll look forward to seeing you again." Then, with a swish of his blue robe, Reeve left the room, heading into the kitchen to talk to the other three Turks. Tseng stood slowly from his seat, striding over to Vincent and extending his hand. Vincent shook it firmly, and Tseng dipped his head in a sort of bow before he, too, started to depart for the kitchen. The gunslinger followed him, surprised when he found Reno, Rude, and Elena immediately surrounding him.

"So, Boss-man, I take it ya talked him into it?" the redhead asked Tseng as he stared intensely at Vincent.

"Yes, he did," Vincent replied somewhat icily; he hated when people talked  _about_  him instead of  _to_  him even though he was in the room.

"Cool!" Reno said, completely undaunted by Vincent's slightly cold demeanor. "Looks like the legend's back in the black suit where he belongs!"

"Don't scare him off before he even puts the uniform back on, Reno," Rude muttered. Reno stuck his tongue out at the bald man. Elena just rolled her eyes and giggled at the two of them.

"Alright, you three, let's get going," Reeve said in a fatherly tone, already standing at the door beside Tseng. "You'll have plenty of time to bother Vincent once he gets to work on Monday." The three of them obeyed in an instant, aligning themselves behind Reeve as soon as he had spoken. Vincent smiled to himself; yes, he had definitely missed being a Turk. Just before they left, Reeve faced Vincent once more, giving him a friendly, genuine smile.

"It's good to have you back, Vincent."


	12. Uncle Vinnie

A few hours later found Cid, Shera, Vincent, and Yuffie all seated or lying somewhere in Cid's living room. The sun had finally risen about an hour ago, and Cid had stretched out and fallen asleep on the couch with Rozalynne held securely on top of his chest, snoring loudly and holding her to him as protectively as a mother bear holds her cub. Shera was slumped over in a chair beside him, her light breathing in total contrast to her husband's chainsaw-like snores. Yuffie was on the other sofa beside Vincent, curled into a ball with her head resting on his lap as she slept. Vincent, although relaxed, was still very much awake, gently petting Yuffie's head and smoothing her hair as he watched a bird hop around just outside one of the windows.

A small whimper broke the relative silence, and Vincent watched as Shera immediately woke from a dead sleep and got up from the chair, gently taking Rozalynne away from Cid before she could start to cry in earnest. Yuffie stirred then, too, and held a finger to her lips as she walked over to Shera and held out her arms.

"I'll take her, if you want," Yuffie whispered. "You should get some sleep while you still can." Shera nodded, gratefully handing Rozalynne over and covering a yawn with her hand.

"There are bottles by the sink, and diapers in the bag on the table," Shera whispered before curling up in the chair again. Yuffie nodded, cuddling the tiny baby to her chest and walking up the hall toward the kitchen. Vincent got up and followed her, a little concerned. As far as he knew, the only children Yuffie had experience with were Denzel and Marlene, and they were much easier to care for than a newborn baby.

When the two of them reached the kitchen, Yuffie sat down in one of the chairs at the table, rocking Rozalynne back and forth and speaking softly to her as she fussed and whimpered. Instead of quieting, she began to cry softly, and Yuffie stood up as quickly as she could without jostling her.

"Are you hungry, Rozzi?" Yuffie asked in a high-pitched voice, nuzzling the un-amused baby and continuing to rock her gently. "Okay, okay, I can see you're getting annoyed with your Auntie Yuffie," she said as the baby began to cry harder. "Now let's see where… Oh! Vinnie, c'mere!" she said, finally noticing that Vincent had come into the room with her. He did, his head tilted in confusion, and was caught completely off guard when he suddenly found himself holding Cid's daughter.

"Yuffie, what –" he began, looking at the tiny baby with wide eyes.

"Just hold her while I get her bottle ready, okay?" Yuffie said distractedly, pulling a bottle from the cabinet and beginning to measure out some formula from the package by the refrigerator.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Yuffie, what if I hurt her? I've never really been around babies, and –"

"Vincent, you won't hurt her. Cid hasn't hurt her, and he's usually about as nice and cuddly as a gorilla holding a chainsaw." Vincent sighed, slowly bringing Rozalynne to rest against his chest with her head supported on his shoulder; he was suddenly very grateful for those claw-covers Reeve had built for him. She continued to cry and whimper, and he gingerly patted her back, trying to soothe her and feeling like a complete idiot for not knowing what to do with her. It took Yuffie only a few moments to return with the bottle, and she happily took Rozalynne back from Vincent to feed her. As soon as she did, though, Rozalynne began to wail loudly, scrunching her face up as large tears rolled down her reddened cheeks. Yuffie tilted her head to one side, thinking, and then grinned, handing her back to Vincent.

"Yuffie, she's already upset. This will just –" Vincent began, afraid his appearance would frighten her. To his amazement, she immediately began to quiet, blinking up at him with large blue eyes and simply continuing to take in every detail of his face. Yuffie took her back again, and she immediately began to sniffle, then stopped as soon as she was passed back to Vincent.

"Well, will you look at that," Cid said, striding into the room with his blonde hair sticking up in all directions and yawning loudly. "It looks like she likes ya, Uncle Vinnie."

"I don't think that's it, Cid," Vincent said, his own eyes wide as he watched the tiny bundle in his arms continue to stare up at him.

"Oh, yeah? Yuffie, take her back again." Yuffie did, and the baby again began to wail, tired of this game and just wanting to be fed. And once again, she quieted down as soon as she was handed back to Vincent. "Whaddya call that, then, huh?" Cid asked, crossing his arms and grinning at his friend. Vincent sighed, taking the bottle Yuffie handed to him and offering it to Rozalynne, who immediately began to suck down the formula like she hadn't eaten in weeks. There was a single tiny clicking sound from somewhere in the room, but Vincent was too busy balancing the baby and bottle to notice.

"Well she definitely eats like me," Cid said fondly, watching his daughter with a gentler smile than any of them had ever seen him wear before.

"Good thing she doesn't  _look_  like you," Yuffie added. Cid snorted.

"Me, too. She'd always have a buncha people following her around if she did, and I'd have to drive 'em off," Cid said with a mischievous grin. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Angry mobs don't count, Cid," Vincent muttered without looking up from Rozalynne's innocent face. Cid stared at Vincent for a moment, jaw hanging, before clamping a hand over his mouth and striding outside, shutting the door behind him. Vincent glanced at the window, puzzled, before he saw Cid throw back his head and heard him begin howling with laughter out on the porch. It took a few minutes for the pilot to gain control of himself, and then he finally walked back into the house, his eyes still wet from laughing himself into tears.

"Holy shit, Vincent!" he said as he closed the door again. "When the hell did  _you_  start makin' jokes? And since when were they  _funny_?" Vincent smirked.

"Yuffie is a bad influence."

"Heeey!" Yuffie said in mock indignation. Cid was about to add a comment of his own when he stopped short, realizing Rozalynne had curled herself up against Vincent's chest and fallen asleep. The gunslinger stared, eyes wide, and then looked up at Cid with a wry smile.

"She's definitely like her father," he said quietly. "No fear of monsters at all." Cid scoffed at him.

"Pfft. Monster. Riiight. The scariest thing about you right now is what might be hiding in that eternal bedhead of yours, 'Uncle Vinnie.'" Vincent blushed, embarrassed by the way the nickname was already beginning to stick.

"Couldn't I at least be 'Uncle Vincent?'" he asked hopefully, knowing it was a futile effort. Cid just grinned and took his daughter into his arms, kissing her and chuckling when his stubble tickled her and made her wrinkle her nose.

"Sorry, Vince, can't hear you over how awesome the heir to the Highwind legacy is," Cid said as he left the room to put Rozalynne in her crib. Vincent shook his head and sighed tiredly, wrapping his arms around Yuffie when she leaned into him and kissing the crown of her head.

"I think I forgot to read the fine print when I agreed to this whole 'coming out of the coffin' thing," he said with a tiny smile. Yuffie nuzzled further into his chest, making her next words come out muffled.

"Yeah, but the fine print is the part that makes it fun."

Meanwhile, in the living room, Cid was reading a new text on his phone from none other than Cloud, who had finally found the time to remember to use his phone once in a while.

_< So, I heard something happened with Vincent and Yuffie. Tifa's worried and driving me nuts about getting details. What's the story?>_

Cid grinned, opening up a picture he had just taken on his phone: Vincent, with his hair more disheveled than usual and his body still wrapped in bandages, was holding Rozalynne and feeding her with a look akin to nervous happiness on his face while Yuffie watched in amusement. With a wicked smile, Cid sent the picture off to the blond delivery boy. A moment later, he got another text.

_< Uh, wow. You realize Vincent's going to kill you for this, right?>_

_< Yeah. Don't care.>_

_< Huh. Well how in the world did they end up there, anyway?>_

Cid sighed, knowing his fingers were going to hurt after he got done with this one.

 _< Alright, lemme start from the beginning…_>


End file.
